Reflections (at different times) on ecumenical or interfaith issues, theology, spirituality, ministry, the arts, politics, popular culture, or life in general ... occasionally, just some funny stuff.

Wednesday, 1 April 2015

"Do not be alarmed.": a sermon for Easter (Mark 16:1-8, 1st Corinthians 15:1-11)

“Do
not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.He has been raised ….”

Even though Mary Magdalene
and her friends were told not to be alarmed, our lesson ends with these words.

So they went out and fled from the tomb, for
terror and amazement had seized the; and they said nothing to anyone, for they
were afraid.

Our gospel lesson for
Easter ends with these words.And, in
fact, the oldest known copies of Mark’s gospel end with these words.Many New Testament scholars (not all, but
many) believe that this is the original ending of Mark’s gospel, with the
eleven or so verses following to be a later addition.

It’s very interesting
if this is the real ending.The oldest
one of the gospels ends with Mary Magdalene and her friends being given the
good news of the resurrection, and their response was to run away, to say
nothing, and to do nothing, … out of fear.

If this is the real ending,
it makes sense in many ways.

·It fits well into Mark’s gospel.At many points in Mark’s gospel, Jesus does
something spectacular and tells his disciples not to tell anyone about this –
yet.And what do they do?They tell the immediate world.Once someone’s told to share the news, what
do they do?They clam up.It’s called irony.

·It also fits well into the situation faced by the first
generation of Christians that read Mark’s gospel.They too experienced fear.It may have comforted them to know that the
first people to receive the good news of the resurrection were themselves too
afraid to share the news, at least at first.The fact that the news got out meant that they eventually developed the
courage to get the message out.

·And it also fits well into our situation today.The world in which we live is a scary place
for many people.Fear has become part of
our day-to-day lives, and many politicians and media figures encourage us to be fearful.

But, the resurrection of
Jesus addresses our fear.

·The resurrection addresses our fear as it addressed the
fear of Mary Magdalene and her friends on the first Easter morning.

·The resurrection addresses our fear as it addressed the
fear of that first generation of Christians who first read about Mary’s initial
fear when Mark first put pen to papyrus.

The message that the
stranger gave Mary Magdalene and her friends was intended to address her
fears:

“Do
not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.He has been raised; he is not here.Look, there is the place they laid him.But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he
is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you
will see him, just as he told you.”

But of course, the
first part of the message had the opposite effect: “Do not be alarmed.”It’s a bit like saying, “Don’t be afraid, but
….”It often has the opposite effect to
that desired.

But part of the good
news is that the good news got out.In
our lesson from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks of the good
news that he received, the good news that he passed on to the Corinthian Church,
and the good news which the Corinthians were, in turn passing on:the good news that Christ was raised, and
that that his resurrection was not for his own benefit, but for the benefit of
humanity, for the benefit of the same flawed humanity that connived in his
death.

“Do
not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.He has been raised ….”

And the story did not
stop there.From Mary Magdalene and her
friends, the story continued to be told.The story motivated many people … throughout the centuries … in lands
around the world … to overcome their fears … to promote peace, justice, mercy,
and reconciliation … to change their world.

And the story continues
to be told today.We are also links in
that same chain that began with the message to Mary Magdalene and her friends
two thousandyears ago; and we are given
the same task that was given to Mary Magdalene and to Paul … to St. Patrick and
to St. Nicholas … to St. Francis of Assisi and to John Wesley … to Martin
Luther King and to Dietrich Bonhoeffer … to John Flynn and to Father Damian … to
St. Mary McKillop and to Mother Theresa … and to you and I and the people on
either side of you … the task of keeping alive the message:

“Do
not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.He has been raised ….”

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About Me

I grew up in the United States and have lived in Australia since 1980. I'm a retired (recycled?) minister in the Uniting Church in Australia. At various times, I've been a parish minister, ecumenical staffer, and hospital chaplain. Some of my interests include theology, liturgy, ecumenism, interfaith relations, history, politics, the arts, humour, and Christmas in popular culture. (I did my doctorate on Advent and Christmas as a "season of opportunity" for churches to relate to their communities.)